The Korean Community in Canada
2007 - Number 14

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A growing community

Canadians of Korean origin1 make up one of the largest non-European ethnic groups in Canada. In fact, the Korean community is the 7th largest non-European ethnic group in the country, after the Chinese, East Indian, Filipino, Jamaican, Vietnamese, and Lebanese populations. In 2001, just over 100,000 people of Korean origin lived in Canada. That year, they made up 0.3% of the total Canadian population.

Table 1
Selected ethnic groups in Canada, other than English, French and Canadian, 2001

The Korean community in Canada is growing considerably faster than the overall population. Between 1996 and 2001, for example, the number of people who said they had Korean origins rose by 53%, while the overall population grew by only 4%.

Almost all people in Canada of Korean origin say they only have Korean origin. In fact, 94% of all those who reported Korean origins in 2001 said they had only Korean origin, while only 6% said they also had other ethnic origins. In contrast, almost 40% of the overall Canadian population has multiple ethnic origins.

The majority are foreign-born

The majority of the Korean population in Canada was born outside the country. In 2001, 70% of Canadians of Korean origin were foreign-born. As well, the largest share of Korean immigrants living in Canada are relatively recent arrivals. In fact, of foreign-born people of Korean origin in Canada in 2001, 60% had arrived in the previous decade. Of the remaining Korean immigrant population, 19% had arrived between 1981 and 1990, 17% came here between 1971 and 1980, while just 4% had come to Canada before 1971.

Most live in two provinces

The Korean community in Canada is concentrated primarily in Ontario and British Columbia. In 2001, 85% of people who identified themselves as Korean lived in one of these two provinces. That year, Ontario was home to 54%, while another 32% lived in British Columbia.

Overall, there were 55,000 people of Korean origin living in Ontario in 2001, while another 32,000 resided in British Columbia. At the same time, there were smaller Korean communities in other provinces. For example, almost 8,000 Korean Canadians lived in Alberta, and another 4,400 lived in Quebec that year.

Canadians of Korean origin account for the largest share of the provincial population in British Columbia. In 2001, almost 1% of all British Columbia residents reported they had Korean origins, whereas people with Korean origin accounted for less than half a per cent of the population in all other provinces and territories.

Table 2
The Korean population in Canada, by province and territory, 2001

The large Korean ethnic communities in Ontario and British Columbia are further concentrated in the Toronto and Vancouver census metropolitan areas. In fact, in 2001, 71% of all Koreans living in Canada resided in one of these two urban areas, whereas the Toronto and Vancouver census metropolitan areas accounted for a little over 20% of the overall Canadian population. That year, there were 43,000 Koreans, 42% of people of Korean origin living in Canada, residing in Toronto, while just under 30,000, or 29% of the total, made Vancouver their home. Overall, people with Korean origins made up 1.5% of the population in Vancouver and almost 1.0% of that in Toronto in 2001, whereas they represented well under 1% of residents of all other major urban areas.

Age distribution

Young adults make up a relatively large proportion of the Korean population in Canada. People aged 15 to 24, for example, made up 21% of the Korean community in Canada in 2001, whereas those in this age range accounted for just 13% of the total Canadian population. At the same time, 33% of people of Korean origin, versus 31% of the overall population, were in their prime working years between the ages of aged 25 and 44.

In contrast, people over the age of 45 make up a relatively small percentage of the Korean population in Canada. This is particularly the case for seniors. In fact, people over the age of 65 made up only 5% of the Korean community in 2001, compared to 12% of all Canadians. Similarly, 21% of the Korean community were people aged 45 to 64 that year, about three percentage points less than the figure for the overall population.

Table 3
Age distribution of the Korean community and overall Canadian population, 2001

As with the overall population, there are more women of Korean origin living in Canada than men. In 2001, 51.7% of all Canadians of Korean origin, compared with 50.9% of the overall population, was female. Also like their counterparts in the overall population, women make up a substantial majority of seniors of Korean origin in Canada. That year, 56% of people aged 65 and over of Korean origin were women, the same figure as in the overall population.

Religion

The majority of Canadians of Korean origin report they are either Protestant or Catholic. In 2001, 51% of the Korean population said that they belonged to either a mainline Protestant denomination or another Christian group, while 25% reported that they were Catholic. At the same time, another 4% said that they were Buddhist. A relatively large proportion of Canadians of Korean origin, though, say they have no religious affiliation. In 2001, 20% of people of Korean origin reported they had no religious affiliation, compared with 17% of the overall population.

Most can converse in an official language

Almost all Canadians of Korean origin can carry on a conversation in at least one of the country’s official languages.2 In 2001, 89% of people of Korean origin said they could converse in one of English or French or both. That year, 82% could carry on a conversation in English only and 6% were bilingual, while about 1% could converse in French only. At the same time, 11% of the Korean community in Canada could not converse in either English or French.

While most Canadians of Korean origin can speak at least one official language, the large majority have a mother tongue3 other than English or French. In fact, in 2001, 85% of the Korean community said that their mother tongue was a non-official language.

As well, the majority of Canadians of Korean origin speak a language other than English or French most often at home. In 2001, 67% of people who identified themselves as Korean spoke only a non-official language at home, while another 3% spoke a non-official language in combination with English or French.

In addition, a substantial number of Canadians of Korean origin who are employed speak a language other than English or French on the job. In 2001, 12% of all Canadians of Korean ethnic origin with jobs spoke a language other than English or French most often at work, while another 3% regularly used a non-official language in combination with English or French on the job.

Family status

Canadians of Korean origin are somewhat more likely than other people to be married. In 2001, 54% of all of those of Korean origin aged 15 and over were married, compared with about 50% of the overall population of Canadian adults. In contrast, people with Korean origins were less likely than other Canadians to live in common-law relationships. That year, just 2% of adults of Korean origin were living common-law, compared with 10% of all Canadian adults.

People of Korean origin are also somewhat less likely than the rest of the population to be lone parents. In 2001, just 3% of Canadians of Korean origin aged 15 and over were lone parents, compared to 6% of the total population. As with the rest of the population, though, the large majority of lone parents are women. That year, women represented 81% of all lone parents in the Korean community, the same figure as in the rest of the population.

Canadians of Korean origin are also less likely than other adults to live alone. In 2001, just 6% of the Korean community aged 15 and over lived alone, compared with 13% of all adult Canadians. This is particularly true of Korean seniors. In 2001, 19% of people of Korean origin aged 65 and over lived alone, compared with 29% of all seniors in Canada. In contrast, seniors in the Korean community are more likely than other seniors to live with members of their extended family. That year, 17% of seniors of Korean origin lived with other relatives, such as the family of a son or daughter, whereas this was the case for only 5% of all seniors in Canada.

Table 4
Family status of the Korean community and overall population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001

Education

People with Korean origins living in Canada are much more likely than the rest of the population to have a university degree. In 2001, 37% of Canadians aged 15 and over of Korean origin were university graduates, compared with only 15% of the overall adult population.

Canadians of Korean origin are also twice as likely as other Canadians to have a post-graduate degree. In 2001, 10% of all those with Korean origins aged 15 and over had a post-graduate degree, compared to 5% of adults in the overall population. Those of Korean origin also represent a high proportion of Canadians with degrees in highly technical fields. In 2001, 21% of university graduates of Korean origin had degrees in specialities including engineering, applied science, mathematics, computing and the physical sciences, compared with 9% of all Canadian university graduates.

Table 5
Educational attainment of the Korean community and overall Canadian population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001

As in the overall population, men of Korean origin have somewhat more education than their female counterparts. Of people with Korean origins aged 15 and over in 2001, 41% of men had university degrees, compared to 34% of women. Both men and women of Korean origin, though, were considerably more likely than their respective counterparts in the overall population to have university degrees.

Young people of Korean origin are also considerably more likely than other young Canadians to be attending school. In 2001, 77% of Canadians of Korean origin aged 15 to 24 were enrolled in a full-time educational program, compared to just 57% of all Canadians in this age range. Among young people of Korean origin, males and females are equally likely to attend school on a full-time basis. This contrasts with the overall population, in which young women were considerably more likely than young men to be in school in 2001.

Employment

Canadians of Korean origin are somewhat less likely to be employed than the rest of the population. In 2001, just over half (51%) of all people of Korean origin aged 15 and over were employed, compared with 62% of those in the overall Canadian population.

Table 6
Percentage of the population employed, by age group and sex, 2001

The difference between the employment rates of Canadians of Korean origin and the rest of the population is accounted for largely by variation in employment among those under age 45. Just 59% of people of Korean origin aged 25 to 44 were employed in 2001, for example, compared with 80% of all Canadians in this age range.

In contrast, there was almost no difference in the employment rates of Koreans and other Canadians in the 45 to 64 age range. In 2001, 67% of people of Korean origin in this age category were employed, while the figure was 68% in the overall population.

As in the overall population, men of Korean origin are more likely than their female counterparts to be employed outside the home. In 2001, 57% of men of Korean origin aged 15 and over were part of the paid workforce, compared with just 47% of women of Korean origin. Both men and women of Korean origin, though, were considerably less likely than their respective counterparts in the overall population to be employed.

Canadians of Korean origin make up a large share of all Canadians employed in management positions. In 2001, 27% of all employed people who identified themselves as Korean worked in management jobs, compared with just 10% of the total labour force. Canadians of Korean origin are also more likely than the overall workforce to be employed in sales and service jobs, as well as in professional positions in the natural and applied sciences. In contrast, workers of Korean origin are less likely than other employees to have manufacturing jobs.

Canadians of Korean origin are also considerably more likely than those in the overall workforce to be self-employed. In 2001, 31% of employed people of Korean origin worked for themselves, compared with 12% of all labour force participants in Canada. Those of Korean origin also make up a disproportionate share of all unpaid family workers in Canada. Indeed, 2% of all workers in Canada designated as unpaid family employees in 2001 were of Korean origin, whereas those of Korean origin made up only 0.3% of the total Canadian workforce.

Unemployment

Labour force participants4 of Korean origin are generally more likely to be unemployed than their counterparts in the overall workforce. In 2001, 8.9% of Korean labour force participants were unemployed, compared with 7.4% of those in the overall population.

As in the overall population, young Canadians of Korean origin are characterized by relatively high unemployment rates. In 2001, 16% of male Korean labour force participants between the ages of 15 and 24 were unemployed, while the figure was 14% for all young Canadian males in this age group. At the same time, 13% of young female Korean labour force participants were unemployed, about the same proportion as all young female labour force participants in the general population.

Income

The incomes of Canadians of Korean origin are generally lower than the national average. In 2000,5 the average income from all sources for Canadians of Korean origin aged 15 and over was just over $20,000, close to $10,000 less than the figure for the overall population.

Table 7
Average incomes of the Korean community and overall Canadian population, by age group and sex, 2000

As in the overall population, women of Korean origin have lower incomes than their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income from all sources for women of Korean origin aged 15 and over was less than $17,000, compared with a figure of over $23,000 for men. However, the income gap between women and men in the Korean community is somewhat smaller than the gap in the overall population. In 2000, the incomes of women of Korean origin were 72% those of Korean men, whereas the figure for all Canadian women and men was 62%.

Seniors of Korean origin living in Canada also have relatively low incomes. In 2000, the average income from all sources for Canadians of Korean origin aged 65 and over was just under $18,000, almost $7,000 less per person than the income for all seniors.

As with all seniors in Canada, the incomes of women of Korean origin aged 65 and over are lower than those of their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income for women of Korean origin aged 65 and over was just under $14,500, compared with almost $22,000 for senior men of Korean origin.

Canadians of Korean origin receive slightly more of their total income from earnings6 than does the overall population. In 2000, Canadians of Korean origin aged 15 and over reported that 81% of their income came from earnings, whereas this was the case for 77% for the national population.

On the other hand, Canadians of Korean origin receive a slightly smaller proportion of their total income from government transfer programs, such as Employment Insurance, Old Age Security and the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans, than other people. In 2000, 10% of the income of Canadians of Korean origin came from these government transfer programs, while the average for all Canadians was 12%.

Many with low incomes

A relatively large proportion of Canadians of Korean origin have incomes that fall below Statistics Canada’s Low-income Cut-offs. In 2000, the incomes of 43% of the Korean community were below the official Low-income Cut-offs, compared with 16% of the total Canadian population.

Canadian children of Korean origin are particularly likely to live in low-income families. In 2000, almost half (48%) of all children under the age of 15 of Korean origin lived in families with incomes below the Low-income Cut-offs, compared with 19% of all children in Canada.

Unattached adults of Korean origin also have high rates of low income. In 2000, 72% of unattached adults of Korean origin had low incomes, compared with only 38% of their counterparts in the overall population.

Seniors of Korean origin who live alone are particularly likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 80% of unattached Koreans aged 65 and over had incomes below the Low-income Cut-offs, about double the number for the senior population as a whole.

Unattached female seniors are the most likely Canadians of Korean origin to have low incomes. In 2000, 85% of these women of Korean origin lived below the Low-income Cut-offs, compared with 57% of unattached male seniors of Korean origin and 43% of all unattached women aged 65 and over.

Summary table

Notes:

All statistical information in this publication referring to Koreans, the Korean community, Canadians of Korean origin or people of Korean origin denotes those who reported Korean origins, either alone or in combination with other origins, in response to the question on ethnic origin in the 2001 Census or 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey.

English and French are recognized as Canada’s official languages in the Official Languages Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

A mother tongue is the language that a person learns first in childhood and that they still understand.

Adults (aged 15 and over) who are employed, or who are unemployed and looking for work.

Income data in the 2001 Census refers to that received the previous year.

Includes wages and salaries and net income from self-employment.

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